Principal Investigators:
Juan March, MD, The Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University;
Jane Pollock, EMT-P, The Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University;
Roger Pyle, North Carolina Forestry Association;
Peter Stevenson, EMT-P, EMD

Project Type: Core Education/Outreach

Project Description: Logging is one of the most hazardous occupations in the country with a high incidence of death or permanent disability associated with injuries. The forest logging operation is a difficult environment for rescue operations and is a foreign environment for most emergency medical personnel. The investigators developed a certification course for emergency medical technicians (EMT's) that includes a field component, including training with logging equipment and interacting with loggers acting as first responders in simulated rescues. The training program was delivered through the community college system. Plans are to conduct "Train the Trainer" sessions to increase the numbers of instructors in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and Georgia with future funding. The project will be conducted in North Carolina and Georgia and extended to South Carolina and Alabama with future funding.